Automatic feeding mechanism



No. s||,ss4. I Patented Sept. 27, I898. E. P.. HOLDEN.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING MECHANISM.

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AUTOMATIC FEEDING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,364, dated September 27, 1898.

Application filed November 2, 1894- Serial No. 527,701, (No model.)'

1'0 (bl/Y whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. HOLDEN,a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Feeding Mechanism; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object the production of mechanism for automatically feeding the articles to be operated upon to a series of carriers.

The invention is perhaps more particularly applicable to the construction shown in the patent to McDonald and Wagner, No. 391,171, dated October 16,1888. In this patent is a series of can-carriers, each carrier being supplied with a can to be operated upon, and this can remaining engaged by the carrier until the operation has been completed, when it is discharged. In the use of this machine and many machines of a similar order in which a series of carriers is employed it has usually been customary to supply the articles to be operated upon to the carriers by hand. My invention contemplates automatic mechanism for accomplishing this purpose; and it consists in a combination of devices and appliances hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of a portion of a machine, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion Fig. 3 is an elevation thereof from a point at right angles to Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the tilting mechanism.

In carrying out the invention I have shown in the drawings only those parts of the old mechanism which are necessary to illustrate For instance, in Fig. l I have shown no framework or track for supporting the carriages, and to this extent the View is diagrammatic.

A represents a series of carriers, each provided with clamping-arms or mechanism B, Fig.2, the arms being hinged at b, and at their outer ends carrier-spindles B 13 the upper spindle being vertically movable and operatedby an arm B and cam-track B to raise and lower it.

C is the can, which is clamped between the plates B It will be understood that the carriers A are closely adjacent to each other and follow each other in a line driven by any suitable mechanism. Pivoted to the frame of the machine adjacent to the line of carriers is a horizontally-movable wheel or disk D, provided with a series of U-shaped arms D and underneath with a series of projecting arms D the latter provided with a recess cl. It will be observed that the U-shaped arms D form recesses to partially embrace and hold the cans.

E is a chute leading to the wheel D. At its end this chute is provided with a hinged wing F. This wing is tilted by mechanism hereinafter described, so that when a can runs down the chute and into this wing it is tilted to a vertical position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and thrown into one of the U -shaped arms D by the wing F, the latter carrying the arm F to prevent the balance of the cans in the chute from running out.

As the wheel D moves around and carries the can away from the wing F it rests on' the table H and slides along the same, almost immediately coming into contact with the yielding arm G, which holds it in its position until it reaches the stationary guide-arm G, when it is held and guided by the latter until it reaches the line of carriers. When it reaches this point, the recess (1 in the end of the arm D engages the spindle B of the carrier A. This brings the can which is above the arm D directly in the path of the lower clamping-plate B and a continued sliding movement carries the can off the portion h of the table H, Fig. 1, and onto the plate 13, where the cam mechanism operates the clamping-plates B to clamp the can. The movement of the carriage then carries the can away from the arm D and away from the wheel. It will thus be seen that the wheel D is revolved solely by the spindle on the carriage engaging the arm D on the wheel, and as the spindle B. is directly under the clampingplates and the arm D directly under the can the latter is absolutely centered with respect to the plates. The arm G is held to its work by the spring G I will now describe the mechanism for tilting the wing F. The latter is hinged atf and its shaft provided with a crank-arm f. A rod f extends from this arm f to a bell-crank lever F, pivoted to a stationary point. On the other arm of this bell-crank lever is a roller f which lies in the path of the spindle 13 on the carriage. As the spindle passes the roller the bell-crank lever F is tilted, and this through the rod f tilts the wing F and throws it up, so that as fast as the carriages pass the roller f and pick up a can from the wheel D another can is thrown onto the wheel from the chute E. A spring f returns the bell-crank lever F to its normal position, while a set-screw f regulates the play of this bell-crank lever.

It is obvious that this automatic feeding mechanism can be applied to any machine Where a series of carriers is employed to convey through one or more operations a series of articles to be operated upon, and while I have described the invention as more particu larly applicable to can-making machinery yet I would be understood as contemplating its use in any machine where it is applicable.

WVhat I claim is I 1. The combination with a series of carriers adapted to carry through one or more operations a series of articles to be operated upon, of feeding mechanism for feeding the articles to the carriage consisting of a horizontallyrevolving wheel provided with means for engaging and holding individally the articles to be operated upon, guard mechanism for holding the article in the wheel until clamped by the carriers, and a stationary plate on which the cans rest and along which they slide said wheel so located with respect to the carriers that a revolution of the wheel will deliver each article onto its respective carrier, said wheel revolved only by the engagement therewith. of the train of carriers substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described the combination with the carriers, of a horizontally-revolving wheel provided with a series of individual recesses in which the articles to be operated upon are placed, guard mechanism for holding the articles in said recesses until clamped by the carriers and a stationary plate on which the cans rest and along which they slide and means on the wheel for engaging the carriers whereby the motion of the carriers revolves the wheel and brings the article to be operated upon onto the carriers,

said wheel having no other means for revolving it substantially as described.

3. In a machine for operating upon a series of cans in which a series of can-carriers is employed, the combination with the carriers provided with clamping mechanism for engaging and holding the cans, of a horizon tally-revolving wheel provided with a series of recesses for individually engaging the cans, guard mechanism for holding the articles in said recesses until clamped by the carriers, said wheel also provided with a series of projections which are engaged by the carrier and the wheel by this means only revolved to deliver the cans to the clamping mechanism of the carriers, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a series of carriers of the horizontally-revolving wheel provided with a series of U-shaped arms into which the cans are placed, a stationary table on which the cans rest as they are moved a series of projecting arms adapted to engage the spindles of the carriers, and an arm or guide adapted to hold the cans in the U-shaped arms until engaged and clamped by the carrier, said Wheel moved only by the engage ment with the carriers substantially as described.

5. The combination with a revolving wheel for feeding the articles to be operated upon to the carriers and a chute for conveying the articles to the wheel, of a tilting-wing at the end of the chute for tilting the article onto the wheel and mechanism extending from the tilting-wing to a point adjacent to and in the path of the carrier whereby the movement of the carrier operates to tilt the wing, substan tially as described.

6. The combination with the carriers of the wheel D for engaging and carrying the cans to the carriers, the chute E and the tilting-wing F for throwing the cans onto the wheel D, of a bell-crank lever pivoted to a stationary part, one end in the path of the carriers,- a rod connecting the bell-crank lever to a crank-arm'on the tilting-wing whereby a movement of the bell-crank lever operates to tilt the can onto the wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EDVARD P. HOLDEN.

Witnesses:

W. H. OHAMBERLIN, FLORENCE KING. 

